Freshman Student Found Dead in Rose Hill Dorm

A freshman student by the name of Jacob Miller was found dead in his dorm room in Alumni South Hall at the Rose Hill campus this morning, according to an email sent out to all members of the community by the Fordham Emergency Management Council. Further reports from police sources, according to the New York Post, indicate that the student appears to have committed suicide by hanging. The statement issued by the University read only that “there is no indication of foul play,” which Bob Howe, director of communication at Fordham, said means that there is no evidence of another party’s involvement in Miller’s death, but that beyond that, the University will make no further official announcement or confirmation about the manner of death. The deceased student’s family and friends have been notified, and members of Student Affairs are reaching out to students who may be particularly impacted by this news.

An interfaith prayer service at the University Church will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. Members of Counseling and Psychological Services, Campus Ministry and Residential Life will be available to speak to any members of the Fordham community wishing to seek them out. They will be in the first floor lounge of Alumni South and the Faculty Lounge in McGinley Center beginning immediately.

Beyond those resources, if any member of the community needs assistance of any kind, he or she is encouraged to call security at any time at (718) 817-2222 on the Rose Hill campus and (212) 636-7111 at the Lincoln Center campus. Staff on both campuses are prepared to assist members of the community in need during this time.

The contact information for all of these offices is listed below:

Fordham College at Rose Hill

Counseling and Psychological Services: (718) 817-3725

Residential Life: : (718) 817-3080

Dean of Students: (718) 817-4755

Campus Ministry: (718) 817-4500

Security: (718) 817-2222

Fordham College at Lincoln Center

Counseling and Psychological Services: (212) 636-6225

Residential Life: (212) 636-7100

Dean of Students: (212) 636-6250

Campus Ministry: (212) 636-6267

Security: (212) 636-7111

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, said in a statement, “I know that the Fordham family will take extra care with and for one another in the wake of Jacob’s death, and that you join me in holding Jacob’s family, loved ones and friends close in our hearts, and in our prayers.”

Stay tuned to the Observatory for more details, including upcoming services for the deceased, as they come in.

This is such a tragic occurrence. Between Jacob and Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers student who also committed suicide this week, a new attention should be paid to student stress and the resources available to them. It should never come to this, and I hope that the rest of the student body knows of the ways to avoid such extreme actions. My thoughts are with the students’ families and friends.
Ashley, thank you for keeping everyone updated with this, especially since many students were not aware of the full details of the situation.